Modernizing Our Infrastructure to Free the Flow of People and Commerce
The time has come for a renewed commitment to consistency and quality in America's infrastructure. With each passing day, our bridges, roads, and rails are losing the capacity to handle a growing population and economy.
One-third of our major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and a quarter of our bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The U.S. aviation system is incapable of efficiently handling the current passenger load, much less the 1 billion customers expected by 2015.
By 2020, every major U.S. container port is projected to at least double the volume of cargo it was designed to handle. Our inland waterways and railroads also need serious attention and new capital.
The consequences of inaction are unacceptable. Something must be done--now.
To address the staggering array of infrastructure needs, the Chamber has launched the Let's Rebuild America initiative. We will put money, people, research, programs, and strong political action around a sustained, long-term campaign to modernize and rebuild the economic platform of our nation.
Backed by groundbreaking Rand Corporation research, we will widely disseminate a series of compelling messages to build grassroots support for infrastructure.
We will work to unlock the potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment that could be spent on transportation, energy, and broadband infrastructure--if bureaucrats and regulators would just get out of the way.
Public monies must be spent more wisely, and the outrageous practice of diverting infrastructure funds to other programs must end. Public-private partnerships and other innovative financing arrangements should be expanded.
Even with these approaches, Congress will still need to consider an increase in the federal gasoline user fee, which has not been raised in 15 years. This could take the form of a carbon fee to address climate change, with proceeds dedicated primarily to infrastructure.
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